Wow!

Yes, wow! When I talk to friends these days and we discuss what we want to do next year, next year is in like, less than three weeks. Three weeks! And we'll have another year to deal with. I still have this month to deal with and right now, today, I'm feeling pretty good. I will be back in the studio today to longarm a small quilt, someone will pick up their quilt and then I have my quilt guild holiday meeting tonight.

I won something in an online giveaway. I rarely win anything and I love this artist's work. Her name is Diana Rader Shrome. I got a wonderful little doll in a peppermint dress and bow and she through in some Halloween guys because she knows I love Halloween.

And another friend sends me ornaments she paints every year. I'm going to need a bigger tree. The table top one is filling up. She also send me a fountain pen (which I've wanted for a long time), and miniature items. A truck and pen set for my miniature roombox that I'm working on.

Nice, early gifts. I'm still debating if I will get myself something for Christmas. I don't know if I want to be in the crowds. Maybe if I go when the store opens, I'll be okay.

Miniature Roombox

I've always wanted a dollhouse. I never had the room for one or the money. Through Facebook, I now have a wonderful friend who also likes minis. I was feeling low last year and she surprised me with a roombox. Something to get started with to see if I could handle a full size dollhouse, which I still don't have room for. I am so glad for this roombox because it took some time to figure out how to put it together. And then there was the floor, which I won't show because I messed it up. Why did I mess it up? Because I didn't stop when I got tired. I'm learning that with minis, you don't push it. It's a long term project. So far, I do know what I will do differently with the next roombox or dollhouse.

It is upside down. I've primed the ceiling and walls with gesso. I will paint the ceiling white and the walls will get wallpaper. I will stain the floor because it's a hardwood floor. I was worried about getting stain on the walls but that's why they have baseboards. This room will be a writer's room. I have instructions to make a rope bed. I will make a little quilt for the bed and probably make a couple of rugs. I've seen a typewriter (yes, I'm old school- I actually typed a manuscript on a manual typewriter) that I like and I may have to make a desk because I haven't found one that I like yet.

This is my long term project. I'll work on it when I can. And collect things along the way. I want to do other rooms too. One for an artist, seamstress, and my friend suggested a potter or weaver/spinner/knitter. But first, this one. I hope it won't take too long to post the next step. I do have the wallpaper, wood for the baseboards, a window, a door (they have to be primed and painted too), and stain for the floor.

I'm excited.

Something Else That's New

Well, not too new. Ever since I was a little kid, I've always wanted a dollhouse. Not a Barbie dollhouse, but a real miniature dollhouse. I think I bought one when I was a teenager, not knowing anything about dollhouses and it never got put together. Why? It was big and complicated. I looked at the directions and put them back into the box. I think the thing is still in my mom's attic. Maybe one day I will rescue it.

I have a wonderful friend Kim, who lives in the wilds of 'up north' and she likes minis too. I told her my dilemma and she was special enough to get me a room box. I cried when I got a package in the mail. She said to start off small. Yeah, looking back on things, that's probably what I should have done. So I'm starting  my first mini piece. It took me awhile before I opened the box. Then another month or so before I pulled out the instructions and made sure I had all the pieces. Then another couple of months before I decided that I was going to just do it.

That was a challenge. I thought I knew what I was doing. I'd read the instructions, had what I needed to put it together. Yep... Ha! It was like watching an Abbott & Costello movie with Lucy thrown in for good measure. I learned to do one side of the room at a time. Using books and anything else heavy to keep it in place until it dried. Did I ever mention that I'm not very patient when it comes to things drying? Yeah. And of course I had to put one wall on the wrong way. That's why you should be glad that things don't dry right away.

Now I have to figure out what to do next. I did order some wallpaper and wood flooring. A window and door. I think I want it to be a room for a writer. We shall see.

My First Mini Project

I've been wanting to make a miniature project for the longest time now. Ever since the 1990s. Yikes! So on my birthday I made a tiny crochet shawl. The pattern was by Kitty Mackey, May 1998, Dollhouse Miniatures magazine. I didn't have the right size thread but I was determined to give it a try. I found out that I didn't like the pattern much, but will try it again with my own twist.

Quinlan Treasures

 Here are some of the treasures I got from the Quinlan Convention. There's just something about a deranged pig. He's like an Igor pig. Maybe that's his name. He's created by Marca Castillo-Bernard of www.fantasyfigurativeart.com.

These cute little sweaters were made by Jan Johnston. Yes, that's a quarter.

I usually don't like Gollies but this is the cutest one I've seen. Not the greatest history behind these but... There's Igor again and a skull pin by Amy Thornton. The doll is by Tyler Crain-Davis and he's called Kenneth but I think I'll rename him Mason.

Hello August

A new month and I've left the creative starting gate in a flash. So many new projects going on, being started, those needing to be completed. I have a show in two months and I've got to get crackin'. So far I've got witch pins cut out and ready to be sewn. All 20 of them. I will work on them in batches of five. I have needle felted dolls to do ranging from bears to skellies to ghoulish ladies. Ornaments need to be made: bats, Day of the Dead, and skulls. And I've started some miniature figures. That should be fun. I will get pics up soon but for right now, enjoy another block of my Hop To It quilt.

First Miniature Project

Moving right along. I have chosen my first miniature project. Very simple, actually. It's from a pattern from the old Nutshell News that I kept. The pattern is by Eleanor L Hudacsek and this was from May 1994. Wow! It's small and not too complicated. I have to ease into this miniature thing. Like I need another thing to do.

Here are the fabrics I've chosen for the first bonnets. I don't know what I'll do with them once they're done but the first thing is to get them done. Stay tuned.

Cassa

Here is Cassa. In a previous post, she was 'No Name' because I just didn't have one for her. But now that she's done, I've blessed her with the name Cassa the Elf Seer.

Many moons ago I carved. I took a workshop where I designed her, she was cut out on a band-saw and then carved. She didn't come out like my drawing but I liked her enough to have kept her. I've carried her around for four years and she's finally done, with a marble for her 'seer ball'.

I knew I wanted her to be a red head and her gown was to be green. I was thinking at first a dark, forest green but then went for a more olive color. I think it works. She's happy and so am I.

The dark spot by her shoulder is wood grain.

I remember when I was carving her, she almost lost her pony tail. She is just the right size for 3/4" scale. Right in between Barbie/GI Joe size (11 1/2"- 12") and dollhouse size (1"=1'). I really wanted to get to doing some dollhouse size pieces but with the older eyes, it may not be possible. Then I discovered 3/4" size and may go with that.

A grown female would be 8", like Cassa, and a male would be 9". She will make a great to scale model.

In Progress

Yes, I continue to start new things and finishing them is like dealing with an apparition in fog. I wanted to start my mini men heads and finally opened a pack of air dry clay. I've never used this particular brand before, so I didn't know what to expect. Possibly the cause of my procrastination. I opened the package and started playing around with it. It does not work well with smaller projects, such as miniature heads. It works quite well with larger pieces such as the two above. I've called them Mother Sun/Father Moon. He's chasing her around the world. Get it? These will be for the film and are wall pieces.

This little head (sorry about the pic) is the right size for a miniature male. I was proud of myself for attempting him and he has some potential. But not out of this clay. It was like working with wet marshmallows. For a moment I thought I was cooking. I do have another brand of air dry clay waiting in the wings.

I'm sure you're wondering why air dry clay? Well, you should have a separate oven (convection) for polymer pieces. I don't. Not too fond of the smell, even thought they say it's non-toxic. The one clay that I really like does weird things to my fingers and I'd rather not have my hands look like melted House of Wax creations. I will give the seoncd brand of air dry clay a shot.

On a papier mache site, I saw where an artist uses tissue paper and glue to make his creations. They are awesome and the idea has put many more ideas in my head. I can make the basic head out of this air dry clay and make facial details with, you guessed it, glued and tissue. He also uses paper towel. Pretty cool.

These are arms for Halloween Sprites I started eons ago. Yes, I do look good for my age, holding up quite well. Again, I was having a time trying to figure out how I was going to attach them in a minimal amount of time. My design idea changed mid-stream and I panicked. If I had stitched up the stuffing holes a bit better, I could have just attached the arms with a very nice stitch and called it a day. But no.

I knew I would have to cover the stitches with a sleeve, which would have again, changed the design. Oh how the frustrations continued to mount for these little creatures. I put them away and only recently brought them out because Bad Wendy had started to talk to them. I mean, they were almost done. So I found all their parts and am bound and determined to get them done.

Here are their bodies. See, almost done. Arms, a little trim, faces painted and some hair. I know I think too much. They will be done by tomorrow. I promise. Maybe I shouldn't. Oh, what the heck.

Mini Men

I'm done. What few marbles I had left, they are gone. Rolling away. I've always loved miniatures. I never had a doll house when I was a kid and always wanted one. Now I want several. I have to start small and somewhere so I decided to do some figures. Do I know what I'm doing? No but there's nothing like a challenge. I'll start with 2 and let you know what happens.
Both Wendys are laughing hysterically right now. I don't know why because they are still on the drawing board. These guys are in the works. I have everything that I need to get them done. Except for maybe the confidence. I think I'll have dinner first. Wish me luck!

Updates

Yesterday was great. I laughed with friends just about all day, at the job even. Not much got done on the creative front once I got home, although I did some sketching (of a small one bedroom house, based on the farmhouse in Ratatouille) and went through old miniature magazines. That CaseyMini lady is bad news. She's gotten me interested in miniatures again. Oh so wrong, that woman, but I oh so love her blog. She cracks me up.

Not only do I have a boat load of projects slated for the month, I have to show that I am doing something. Also, to prove to myself that I can stay focused in the "Land of Finish Me" so I can get to other stuff, like minis. No, no, I can't, must stay focused.

Today, rather tonight, I will update you on some of these projects. The first one:
Aliens- These are the kids. I started the whole family awhile ago and this week I finally got their faces on. What was I waiting for? I cut out different shapes of black felt for their eyes and little round grey pieces as pupils. They are aliens after all. The mouths are red felt.
I arranged the eye parts on their heads differently before gluing on, because they each have their own pose and personality. I picked a purple, velveteen like fabric for their clothing. It has sprinkles of green, red, orange, and yellow all over it. The sprinkles didn't photograph well, so you'll have to take my word on the description. I will try again when the critters are finished.

Blue and Yellow Angels- I showed these lovelies before too. I repainted the brown one because her first paint job was very blotchy. She looks much healthier now. I glued on the trim around their neck, bust line, wrists, and the hems of their dresses. I had another plan for part of their outfits but can't remember what it was and I won't spend anymore time figuring out the design. I want to get them done. I will paint their faces this week, add hair and some beads. Maybe on the beads.

Old Man Winter Voodoo Doll- Give him the boot! I got this idea of a voodoo doll form the cover of "Skirt" magazine. At that time winter was becoming a bother (it's not getting any better) and it would be great to have an Old Man Winter Voodoo doll. To toss around, kick him, poke him when you're tired of the mess of snow, ice, sleet, freezing rain and slush.

I will make him out of cotton and use fabric paints to make him blue, gray and just downright gnarly. I've got blue, clear, and white beads along with snowflake charms. Also he will get stamped with a snowflake rubber stamp all over his body. A frigid mess. I want to make several stick pins with suns on the end. To melt the little winter monster. You can't have a voodoo doll without pins, now can you?

Spring Faerie/Angel- I am so ready for spring. I can taste it. Smell it. Feel the warmth of the new season sun on my face. These little ladies will help to get rid of the cold, old man winter. Just in case the sun pins don't work. Some people like angels, some like faeries, some like both. It's that 'two birds with one stone' thing for me. Don't tell them because they fly too.

It's a simple pattern, the body and legs are one part, a separate arm and head pattern. This way the body can be done out of fancy fabric while arms and head out of a skin tone of my choice. I have also designed two wing styles. I can dress them up or down (with embellishments) as much as I like. Yay spring!

Here's the first pattern drawn. Eyes were for something else I started to think about. Attention span of a gnat.

Here's a cleaned up pattern.

The Reader- Her head has been stuck on a double pointed knitting needle for almost a year. She has been very patient but I'm getting tired of looking at her sans body. I took her head and measured out her body which will be in four parts. At least right now, to make her more 3D. This body style is called a 'stump doll'. Love it. Don't have to worry about stuffing legs and it goes on a base or stand like a dream.

There are two halves that make up the front and two for the back. The back section angles out a bit because I didn't want to make a structure undergarment to give the effect of a train. I'll deal with her arms once I get her body done. I will start off by making a mock-up out of muslin to see if the pattern will work or have to be altered. I'll take pics of that process too.

Today was a long day. It didn't start out well because I told myself that it was my day off. I knew I needed to do something so I had a cup of Chai tea (yum) and got busy. I also worked on needle felting, my skull ornaments. Will have pics of a completed one in a couple of days. I've got ten going.

Before bed I will start to stitch down the crazy quilt binding. It'll be done for show and tell tomorrow night for applique class. I need to pick up some clips (they actually look like hair clips) to hold the binding down as I stitch it in place. Now I have a gazillion straight pins in it. Yes, I will get poked, but once it's done, it will be beautiful and then I can use it. You can never have enough blankets, lap quilts, or throws.